Half of my Soul
by angelsinstead
Summary: Marty's husband was killed in a tragic car accident... but now it seems his ghost has returned from beyond the grave with a warning she can't ignore.
1. The Introduction

**The Introduction**

"I'm sorry, Marty. There's been a terrible accident. I hate to have to tell you this ... but your husband is dead," said John McBain.

Ever since that fateful day, Marty had done everything possible to go on with her life. She tried to concentrate on her career and her unborn child, but her heart ached for the man she had loved. It was as if she were missing half of her soul.

They had gotten married three months prior to the accident. It was on their honeymoon when Marty realized just how strong their bond had become...

_They were on a yacht, sailing just off the coast of Florida when he had said, "We are soulmates, Marty; you and me. We are always going to belong to each other. No matter what happens, I'm always going to protect you. I love you and that's forever. If anything ever happens to me -."_

"Don't talk that way," she cried out. "Nothing's going to happen to you! We are married now. We're in love, and we have our whole lives ahead of us."

He pulled her close and looked deeply into her eyes. "From now on, after tonight, I will burned into your soul forever... and you will be burned into mine," he stated. Before she had a chance to ask what he meant, he had taken her lips in a scorching kiss.

When the kiss had ended, his eyes penetrated deep into the core of her innermost being. "What... what are you saying?" she whispered as she searched his eyes.

"I'm asking you to give me half of your soul; to entrust it to me forever. Will you do it, Marty? Will you share a bond with me? Will you be mine, forever and a day?"

She nodded as tears glowed in her eyes. "When I spoke my wedding vows, I meant every word with all of my heart and all of my soul. I am yours forever."

Once again his lips took hers in a flaming kiss. He carried her down below to the stateroom and made passionate love to her all night long... 

It was in that fiery passion that a wonderful kind of telepathy had developed between them. They always knew when the other was in trouble. Sometimes she could read his thoughts, just as he could read hers. They were bonded for eternity. Also on that night, their child had been conceived. For three spectacular months, Marty and the man she loved had everything. But it all ended in a car crash... or so she had thought...


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

The soft grass was being crushed beneath her feet. Once again, she was in the cemetery. She was standing over his grave. Kneeling down upon the tender soil, she traced his name upon the stone. "TODD."

"I miss you so much," she murmured. "You're supposed to be here."

It had been two months since the accident, but for the past several nights, Marty had been compelled to come to the cemetery. She would stand at his grave in the moonlight. It was here that she felt closest to him. She hardly came in the light of day anymore. At night, his presence was most strong. He was here! She could FEEL him!

"Todd," she called out, looking toward the mausoleums in the near distance. An ivory cloud of fog had risen up from the beyond the row of graves. She couldn't take her eyes off them, and the gorgeous angel statue which stood guard in the nearby courtyard.

"Todd, is that you?" she asked when she heard someone calling her name.

Her long white nightgown trailed on the ground as she followed his voice toward the mausoleums. A mist of fog bathed her legs as she made her way between the graves. There was a gnarled tree and a wrought iron fence directly ahead of her. Standing by the statue, she saw him.

"Todd," she gasped as all the color drained from her face. In the silvery moonlight, her flesh glowed nearly as pale as his apparition.

"I came back to you, baby," he said as he reached out for her.

An electrical charge moved through her as their fingers met and she felt his tender touch. An icy sensation sent a shiver down her spine. *This can't be real,* she was thinking. *This CAN'T be Todd. I am dreaming again. This is ONLY a dream.*

She looked down at the translucent hand which had wrapped itself around her fingers. "No," she said fearfully. A quiver overtook her as she tried to pull her hand away from his.

"Don't be afraid," he told her as his eyes glowed with a strange, hypnotic light. "I told you that we'd never be apart. I told you we'd be together forever. And it's not safe for you... I am here; I am back, because I have to protect you. Marty, I was murdered."

"Murdered?" she gasped. "No! You... you had a car accident."

"Someone caused my car to malfunction that day. Someone is responsible for my death. And that person is after you now," he stated. "You're not safe... and neither is our baby."

She placed her free hand on the tiny mound which was their child. Fear nagged her. What if he was right? What if someone wanted to hurt their unborn child?

"No, no... not our baby; it's all I have left."

"I'm waiting for you, Marty. Until you can join me, I must wait in limbo. I need YOU to be complete," he told her.

"But I can't be with you now. I must think of the baby."

"I know. I'm here to protect you. Be careful, Marty," he warned. "Don't believe his lies."

He lowered his head and she felt the tenderest brush of his lips against hers, then he was gone. He had disappeared - as though he had never been there at all. "Todd, where are you?" she cried out.

"Who? Who's lies?" she asked, but there was no answer. Todd was gone. And she was standing in the cemetery in just her nightgown.

*The man I love is a ghost... and he's haunting me,* she thought as she turned to leave the cemetery. The fact that Todd was reaching out to her from beyond the grave did not surprise her. She and Todd had always shared a deep and special bond. She found his ghost less disturbing than the warning he had given. Someone was waiting in the shadows... and they were going to harm her. The man she loved had been murdered, and now she wasn't safe. She had to protect their child.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

_She stood in the park wearing a long white wedding gown. Her hair was a beautiful cascade of curls as she began walking toward the wicker trellis where Todd waited under an archway of roses. Their friends and family were all smiles. It had turned out to be a lovely day for a wedding._

Marty reached Todd's side and he drew her hand into his. "I love you, baby," he whispered as they turned to face the Reverend.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man... and this woman. I stand before this couple this day to unite them in the bonds of holy matrimony. If there be anyone present that may have just cause as to why this couple may not be lawfully wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace," spoke Reverend Carpenter.

A hush went over the crowd. It was as if time stood still. Marty forgot to breathe. With her gaze locked to Todd's, it was as if she just KNEW that something was about to happen.

Suddenly a long white car pulled up, breaking the silence. A man and a woman got out, approaching the wedding party. The man was young; vibrant and had striking blue eyes. He was wearing a well-tailored black suit.

The woman was older and wore a long black gown. She looked like she was dressed for a funeral instead of a wedding. Marty turned to look at her, encountering her cool, evil smile. "Are we late for the wedding?" she asked, her voice baring a hint of disdain.

"What are you doing here?" Todd growled as he stiffened at Marty's side. "You CAN'T be here. You aren't welcome."

"You mean you don't want your own mother and your brother at your wedding?" asked the man.

"I hate you both," Todd bit out. "And I want you to leave."

"Alright, Todd," said the woman. "We'll leave... but you'll regret this. We have unfinished business - you and me. And now you've brought HER into it."

The woman looked at Marty with cold blue eyes, and Marty shivered at her frosty stare. Why were these people interrupting her and Todd's wedding? Why wouldn't they just go away?

"If you touch her... if you do anything, I'll..." Todd said in a threatening tone.

"You'll do what, Todd?" the woman said with a sinister laugh. "You'll do NOTHING. That's right. You have no power over me... and you know it."

The woman placed her hand on the man's arm. "Let's go, Victor," she said.

The two turned and began walking back toward the car. After they left, Todd let out a long, pent-up sigh. "Continue with the wedding," he insisted.

"But-," began Reverend Carpenter.

"Finish it," Todd hissed.

And so it was. Todd and Marty were married. Just as they spoke their vows and exchanged a tender kiss, the sky blackened, and a cold, bitter rain began to fall. Marty's wedding dress was soaked.

As they sat in the limo together, huddling to get warm, Marty held back her tears. Their wedding hadn't gone as planned. Todd owed her an explanation.

"Todd, who were they?" she asked as they were on their way to the airport for their honeymoon.

"The two I despise most in this world," Todd replied. "My mother and my brother."

"But why...?"

"No more questions, Marty. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"We will talk about it," Marty insisted. "We are married now, Todd. I deserve to know what's going on."

"My mother hates me," he told her. "She's always hated me. She's been trying to kill me since the day I was born."

Marty stared at Todd in horror. "Surely, she hasn't..."

"She has, Marty. One of my first memories was her standing over me, holding a knife in her hand. She tried to kill me, but my uncle stopped her. He told her to wait; that there would be a better time and place ... to take 'care' of me. He talked her into leaving me to be raised by him... my uncle, a child molester. She left me with HIM - an eight-year-old boy, to be abused, to be beaten and raped, and she took off with my twin brother, her favored child - the one who could do no wrong," Todd said as tears of pain and sadness gathered in his eyes. "Ohhh how I hate him. I HATE him. I am warning you, Marty. He's evil. SHE'S evil. And I am a part of them."

"No, Todd, you're not like them," Marty said as took his hand and tenderly kissed it. "You're good and you're loving. You're EVERYTHING to me, and that's why I married you."

Todd pressed his forehead against Marty's while he clutched her close, hugging her as he choked on a sob. "I want to keep you safe," he said. "I have to protect you."

"Everything's going to be alright, Todd. We are together now. We are married. We can be happy. They hurt you in the past, but that's over now. We have our whole lives ahead of us."

"Do we really?" he said as he broke away from their embrace to look deeply into her eyes. Marty trembled from what she saw lurking in his gaze. It was as if she had seen a premonition. Deep inside, Todd KNEW he didn't have much time left. He knew he was going to die. He knew their happiness would be short, yet blissful and sweet.

"I love you, baby," he said as he tried to soothe her and take away her fears.

He kissed her tenderly as they arrived at the airport. "I'll always be a part of you... and that's forever."

When Marty awakened, her pillow was damp with her tears. She had dreamed the events of she and Todd's wedding day, remembering every single detail with perfect clarity. Todd had been coming to her from the great beyond, warning her that she was in danger. She believed him. The events of their wedding had been a foreshadowing.

She sat up in bed, her cotton nightgown clinging to the growing mound which was their baby. The child kicked, no doubt disturbed from it's slumber by it's mother's tears and unrest. "I'm sorry, little one," Marty crooned as she caressed her tummy. "Mommy had a bad dream."

Once again the little one kicked as if it had heard her. Marty smiled. "Your daddy wanted you so much," she said in a whisper. "He was so happy."

"I told him we were having a baby and his face lit up," she recalled as she spoke to her unborn child. "He grabbed me up in his arms and he swung me around. We were both laughing in happiness and excitement. It was the best day EVER..."

"But we didn't have long after that. Your daddy died in a tragic car accident."

"Marty, I was murdered," Todd's voice suddenly spoke to her in her head.

Marty shuddered. There it was again... Todd's voice, speaking to her from beyond the grave. She should be afraid. She should be absolutely terrified. And she was, but not of Todd - never of his ghost. She was afraid that someone would hurt her unborn baby.

Marty crawled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. She didn't get far when she heard urgent knocking upon the door. Someone was pounding on the wood while calling out her name.

At first she thought it was Todd, but then she remembered that ghosts do not knock. "Who is it?" Marty called as she stood with her hand upon the door.

"It's Victor," he answered. "Let me in."

Marty stood there frozen, unable to move. Todd had hated Victor. His warnings made her pause. He had said not to believe 'his' lies.

"What do you want?" Marty demanded.

"You and your baby are in danger. You have to let me in. I am the only one who can help you," he insisted. "Open the door. We need to talk."

Something in his voice compelled her. She unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open. As she stared into his gorgeous blue eyes, she felt breathless.

"Why have you come?" she asked as he stepped into the foyer. "How can you help me?"

"I'm your only hope," Victor replied.


End file.
